The UK Government has defended its air and missile defense approach following stark warnings from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and the House of Lords about critical gaps in its missile defense system.
The IISS recently published a critical assessment highlighting that integrated air and missile defense remains an “ambition” rather than a reality in Europe.
Furthermore, the report stated that “the UK does not have the capability” to defend against a concentrated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) attack, raising alarm over national security vulnerabilities.
The report further highlighted a persistent affordability gap in the UK’s equipment plan, exacerbated by rising costs due to inflation.
These concerns were earlier echoed by the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee in its report Ukraine: A Wake-Up Call, published last autumn.
The committee criticized the UK’s overreliance on NATO partners, warning that the country’s defenses have been left “negligible” and calling for urgent investment in integrated air and missile defense.
The report noted the growing threats posed by long-range drones and hypersonic missiles, highlighting a gap in the UK’s preparedness to counter modern aerial threats.
During a debate in the House of Lords on March 3, Labour peer Lord Coaker addressed the issue, responding to calls for the Government to prioritize missile defense enhancements beyond the existing Sky Sabre system.
“The noble Lord raises very important points, but some of them will have to wait for the outcome of the defense review,” Coaker stated.
However, he was keen to stress that upgrades were already in progress and confirmed that the UK is expanding the number of Sky Sabre units to nine, an increase aimed at bolstering current defensive capabilities.
Beyond Sky Sabre, the Government is also upgrading Type 45 destroyers with upgraded Sea Viper missiles to better counter ballistic missile threats.
Coaker added that the UK is working closely with European allies through multinational initiatives such as the Diamond Project, which facilitates missile defense intelligence-sharing, and Sky Shield, a program designed to enhance coordination and response capabilities across allied nations.
“Air defense is being looked at by the Government and by all of our allies, because it is becoming increasingly important, not just with respect to defense on the battlefield but with respect to homeland defense as well,” he said. “Clearly, all of us are going to have to look more carefully at that.”
Russia’s Hypersonic Missile Threats
The United Kingdom has, on numerous occasions, been the subject of ominous warnings suggesting it could be struck by hypersonic missiles—a threat levied by Russia in response to the UK’s support for Ukraine.
In one particularly alarming instance, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to deploy a new missile, known as the Oreshnik, to target Western nations, including the UK.
He boldly claimed that the missile’s speed, reaching roughly ten times the speed of sound, would render existing air defense systems incapable of intercepting it.
This declaration forms part of the Kremlin’s broader strategy of steadily expanding its inventory of hypersonic missiles. Russia’s development of these advanced weapons is not a recent phenomenon but rather a continuation of long-standing efforts to create what are often termed “game-changing” military systems.
These systems are intended to provide Russia with key advantages at tactical, operational, and strategic levels, while also compelling NATO and its allies to invest heavily in new technologies and countermeasures designed to neutralize these emerging threats.
Historically, missile systems comparable to the Oreshnik were banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), a key arms control agreement from the Cold War era.
However, after the United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019, this prohibition was effectively nullified and granted Moscow the legal authority to develop and deploy missile systems with ranges spanning from 500 to 5,500 kilometers.
The nature of hypersonic weapons further complicates matters; these missiles are notoriously difficult to detect, track, and intercept due to their extreme speeds and advanced maneuverability.
Although the UK is integrated into NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System, its own BMD sensor capabilities remain relatively limited.
For example, as highlighted by William Freer, a Research Fellow in National Security, RAF Fylingdales operates a US-run early warning radar facility that can detect objects as far as 3,000 miles into space, yet this facility represents only a fraction of the UK’s overall defensive infrastructure.
Moreover, while the UK does not currently have a dedicated ballistic missile interceptor, there are ongoing efforts to upgrade the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers to include BMD capabilities using the Aster 30 Block 1 missile.
However, in the current strategic landscape, the UK faces a tangible risk from a coordinated Russian ballistic missile strike.
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